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Kurdish protesters called to jihad against their leaders
Sulaimani is known as a secular city in the Kurdish region of Iraq, but now young religious clerics are taking a leading role in the ongoing anti-government demonstrations there by leading the protests Friday prayer sessions and speaking out against governmental corruption. We are especially inspired by the events in the Middle East and Egypt, said Mullah Mohammed Nasrullah, one of the first clerics to lead the Friday prayers at the center of the Sulaimani protests. Since February 17th, protesters have continuously demonstrated against the Kurdish Regional Government in Bar Darki Sara Square, which they have renamed Maidani Azadi (Liberation Square) in tribute to Cairos Tahrir (Liberation) Square. Nasrullah, an outspoken cleric, plays an especially significant role in the anti-government demonstration by, for example, calling it a jihad. Although protesters have generally supported this label, some consider this a call for violence, which Nasrullah denies. I did not call for violence, but for demonstration and the solving of problems, for peace and tranquility, said the cleric. Nasrullah admits the influence of theologian Sheikh Qaradawi, who led thousands of anti-government protesters in prayer in Egypt. In Egypt a big Islamic country we saw thousands of people come onto the streets to pray with imams, he said. We want to support our people, who came out in support of the demonstrations. Our country needs us in these difficult times. Nasrullah says the events in Maidani Azadi are something new for Iraq. It never happened before that people prayed on the streets, but everything thats new also results in problems, he admitted, referring to the temporary detention of some of the clerics who supported the protests. Many in the square favored the new role of religious clerics in the protests. We feel supported by them, said Nian Farez Mohammed. They have the right to express their opinions. Osman Ali Achmed, the uncle of 16-year-old Rezwan Ali, who was killed by security forces in the protests, agrees the clerics have a right to join in. They are a part of the society, Achmed said. If the people have problems, everybody participates, and so do the imams. Mullahs have the right to participate in protests. Fayiq Gulpi, a Kurdish intellectual who supports the protests, emphasizes that the clerics want change. Mullahs who lead the prayers are calling on the government to listen to the rights of the people according to Islam, Gulpi said. They prohibited [the government] from oppressing them and [encouraged it] to listen to them and solve their problems. This is a good and positive thing regarding the religious authorities. But the protesters are not positive about all clerics; some of them do not support the demonstrations and, via government-controlled media, have appealed for calm. Mullah Bashaer is no Kurd, shouted angry protesters in the square against Mullah Bashaer al-Haddad. Al-Haddad, who is a Kurdish lawmaker as well, allegedly compared the protestors to the khawarij (seceders or rebels), a designation for extremist Muslims who never compromise. The khawarij fought against the Islamic caliphs, who they considered to be impious. Protester Barham Achmed Mahmud declared that he has no words for him [al-Haddad]. He is a man who sells his words and he is no longer human, exclaimed another protester, Nian Farez Mohammed, who said that al-Haddad had been bribed to make such statements. We dont listen to him. Al-Haddad denies comparing the protesters with khawarij and condemns both the violence of the protesters and the government. He is also critical of the arrest of some pro-reform mullahs. Everyone knows that khawarij are people who tried to impose their demands and caused bloodshed, al-Haddad said. When I tried to use this example, my aim was not to say these people were khawarij. Posted by: ryuge 2011-03-25 |
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